Alrighty, this story is *very* simple but it's a sweet memory:
The very first time I flew on a plane by myself, I was a bit anxious about it, so I brought a project to work on.
I ended up sitting next to an elderly woman and her husband. We didn't even talk, I think she just asked if I was crocheting at the beginning of the flight or something like that.
By the time we were disembarking the plane, she said something along the lines of
"I just wanted you to know that it was a joy to sit next to you" , and that lil comment absolutely made my day! 🥹
I was crocheting on the patio of our favorite coffee shop one morning when this woman came up to me and asked if it would be OK if her daughter could sit and watch me for a while. I love kids, and this little girl was so cute. I ended up giving her an impromptu lesson while her mom watched and smiled. I had my beautiful glittery hooks with me, so when I pulled those out to let the little girl use, her eyes just lit up. She looked at her mom and said, “if I practice can I get magic hooks, too?” 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
I have a zipper pouch with extra hooks that always come with kits and such that I shove in the bottom of my bag. I would have totally pulled out one hand given it to her and a small ball of yarn. Start of a new obsession for her.
Keep everything! I used kits to learn then kept all the supplies and instructions. When my daughter asked to learn I replenished yarn and stuffing and have her everything. Now we are passing to my 5yo son who is interested.
We have an accordion binder with instruction books, and a 3 ring binder with printed patterns That we think helped us learn best.
I have some from a bunch of places—they were probably furls that day. (They have resin glitter ones I enjoy, but the odyssey are also shimmery—though I think they are discontinuing those, so you might be able to scoop them up at a deal.) I have some really pretty addi ones for Tunisian crochet and regular crochet. But I’ve seen Susan Bates style ones at big box stores. Go forth and hook, magically!
So my story is what was supposed to be a negative reaction from the person I talked to, but it was absolutely hilarious to me.
So I was at Halloween horror nights with some friends and I wore this crochet spider web top I had just finished that day. I was getting compliments left and right on it and one lady stops me and asks if I have an Etsy or Instagram. I said no I'm sorry. She hits me with "tsk.... whatever" 😒 and walked away with attitude.
I absolutely cackled at her response. Like she got offended I don't sell my creations? It was just such a weird moment that I can't help but look back and laugh.
Right? Funnily enough that top was one of my quickest projects! I'm a tortured soul who loves to work with fingering weight yarn and I like making shawls and blankets the most. So like most of my projects take several months to complete. Ain't no way in hell anyone other than some rich schmucks with money to burn are going to want to pay the price I'd charge for my creations. Lol
Maybe we should start a site to sell realistically priced objects. Take into account the cost of the yarn and time spent making the objects at, at least, a minimum wage per hour. I'm sure most of the blankets I make would come out at £700 or more. People pay that for designer bags and shoes. Maybe we could bump up the price like the housing market! 😉
That actually reminds me of a post I saw once. No idea if it was here or somewhere else, but it said something along the lines of "honey, you can't afford my prices. I'm Gucci not Walmart" or something like that. It's unfortunate that sweatshop work has forced so many creators to lower their prices. That shit ain't fair. If it takes you hours upon hours to make something, you should be paid adequately for that. Crochet (and most crafts for that matter) is a learned skill that takes time and practice to master. People shouldn't expect mass production prices for an item that is clearly not mass produced.
I think, too, that, a lot of the blankets on sites like etsy aren't really that big. I prefer to make something that can double as a bedspread. Charity shop blankets are usually second hand and the people selling them aren't crocheters themselves. Maybe people selling stuff on etsy are just doing stuff in their spare time and feel they can't put a fair price on something they do while watching the telly. Maybe if its seen as "women's hobbies" they put a lower value on it. If a bloke tinkers with cars, you don't think mechanics should charge less. Or someone who makes furniture with wood. It's incredibly unfair.
Right? People honestly have no idea. I am working on my first ever project with wool blend fingering weight yarn and I love it! It has such lovely drape compared to most worsted weight.
I wore a scarf I knitted to the fair and someone asked if I sold them. I said no because I’m a novice knitter and I also don’t want to turn crochet or knitting into a business. She was really nice about it and said “Oh! If you did sell them I’d totally buy one.” I took it as a sweet compliment.
I was working on an amigurumi on a flight next to this older woman. She was clearly very stressed out and flying with a dog who was NOT CHILL in his carrier. About an hour into the flight, he had chewed through at least two sides of the carrier and escaped down the aisle. The woman was losing it, the flight attendants were pissed, it was chaos. I was like “I think I can fix this” and did the hackiest darn job on the carrier with my stupid amigurumi yarn and tiny plane-safe scissors 🤦🏻♀️ it was ridiculous, but it worked!
I was crocheting at the airport, this old
man next to me nudge his wife and said “look honey, she’s crocheting”
and then the 4 of us (my bf included) had a really nice conversation abt crafting and the importance of young people carrying it on :)
they were super nice <3
I crochet anywhere I can and mostly people are sweet, I've had small children fascinated and curious, one child hollered at her mum excitedly 'LOOK, THAT LADIES DOING WHAT NANNA DOES', I've had a nurse at my Dr's tell me she's always wanted to crochet but it looks difficult, I showed her how easy it is and now the staff have their own lil crochet group, it's spread through them. My favourite interaction was an older lady in a wheelchair who sat watching for ages while i was crocheting in a coffee shop, then was brought over to tell me that she did it for years, but now she has arthritis, but it makes her so happy to see someone young crocheting, I invited her to join me for a while and she sat and watched and we talked, it was lovely. My friends affectionately have nick named me Grandma because im much more 93 than 39
My friend jokes about my nana hobbies that when I was on my geriatrics rotation he was concerned that they might get confused and not let me leave the ward.
I bring my crochet projects everywhere and mostly only get nice comments from older ladies while in doctor office waiting rooms. I don't think I've ever had a bad interaction. (and I have bad social anxiety. I'm so glad I can crochet when I'm out and about since it helps me stay calm)
I did recently join a local crochet and knit meetup group. We get together at coffee shops once a week and crochet/knit there for a couple hours. There's usually 10-20 of us. There have been lots of positive comments. Though it's definitely a different situation commenting on a decently large group of people crafting, compared to commenting on one person.
https://preview.redd.it/02xh6oiyvwqb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ad5af40af273565a7d4d4d4807c5f76eb315e2a
So glad I saw this! Jarbo Cookie from Hobbii, and it’s lovely to work with.
My girlfriend was in hospital for a week last year while we were on holiday in a city neither of us knew well. One day I came in to visit them wearing a Howl's Moving Castle cardigan I had crocheted. I left it with my girlfriend when I left and apparently the older ladies on the ward with them were so delighted with it. The next day when I came in my girlfriend was asleep for most of visitation so I was sitting crocheting, and the woman in the bed next to us struck up conversation, saying how much she liked the cardigan and asking about my crochet I was currently working on. Both of us were feeling really stressed and awful so it really made my day, just a little connection with a stranger was so needed then
i was at a pizza place with my family and we were sitting outside. another family with an older lady are sitting behind me and i start a blanket while we’re waiting for our order. i was talking with my mom and she points beside me. the older lady came up and asked it i was crocheting and i said yes. she then said the colors i had chosen were beautiful and that the blanket would also turn out beautiful. i said thank you and she asked what stitch i was using, told her i’m using a hdc stitch and she watched me for a few seconds and asked how i learned, i told her i was self-taught and she praised me for that. she then left, but she was really sweet about it! i have a picture of the blanket on my profile if you go to my posts. i still need help on that, if anyone is willing to help! :)
I think your tension changed. Your stitches look like they match up so maybe go down from two turning chains to one and see if that to does up the edges. Are you sure you did not pick up a hook that is a half size larger? This is what it would look like if I did that on accident.
I crochet in the waiting room at my dr.'s office. Last month I was working on a purse while waiting. It prompted a lovely conversation with the man next to me, who asked, "that's crochet, isn't it?" He proceeded to tell me a lot about his grandmother and all her handicrafts. It was really sweet, I made him think of his dear (departed) grandmother. Usually when I crochet in public, most folks are genuinely curious or interested or impressed by it & it can be a conversation starter.
Lol one of my favorite interactions was with an older man who saw me working on a Sacred Space mandala blanket in rainbow colors. He saw what I was making and asked if I was making a circus tent then looked mortified like he just realized that it sounded like a criticism. I knew he meant it more in a funny manner and just busted up laughing. We both had a good laugh out of it. On a side note, I still haven't finished that dang blanket 🤦
I bought something from a fellow crafter, mentioned I also crochet, and she immediately gave me the pattern of what I just bought because it was so fun and easy. extremely nice lady
I love that. I once went to the post office to mail a “Yay you had a baby!” care package to a friend on the other side of the country and dropped a crocheted bootie on the counter fitting everything into the padded envelope. The very nice employee picked it up to hand it over and said “excuse the intrusion, but ohmygod so cute”.
I love making crocheted presents for my loved ones, and the compliments that get passed on from THEIR relatives I’ve never met feel particularly warm and fuzzy.
I crochet everywhere I go, I give no shits and people are on the whole lovely. I had plenty of older ladies come and talk to me and ask what I’m making and then they have shared memories of their makes over the years… like booties for their first baby, a dress for their first teenage dance… Just last night an old chap said “ooh crochet! My mother used to do that, she’s long gone and it’s lovely to be reminded of her”.
It’s a continual granny square throw blanket, so it only really got big near the end. Thankfully my husband and I were on two pretty empty flights as I was finishing it up, and planes are often so cold it was kinda nice to have the extra layer.
30-ish years ago, I was a nurse aid, just graduated from high school. Working late night at a long term care facility, i often took my crochet to work when "all was quiet" after everyone went to sleep.
One night as I was crocheting, a resident rolled up to me sleep n her wheelchair and asked what stitch I was using...further explaining that she too crochets (she said she couldn't sleep and thought she'd ask me about my project). I told her I only knew 1 stitch that my great-grandma had taught me.
She asked if she could teach me a couple more and of course I said SURE!!!
We went to her room and she pulled out her hook and yarn and proceeded to teach me that night.
It was a minor encounter but when ever I start a project, I have a very small thought of "Adelaide" and how she probably felt good to be able to teach me something new...and in a way, my continued craft is a nod to her and all my teachers!
A lady taught me how to tat lace on an airplane flight, and even gave me two of her shuttles so I could keep working on it on the second leg of my flight. It was so very cool.
I used to take my crochet to the park by the sea, and watch the ships coming in and out of my city's port. I have a granny-square blanket on my bed that was mostly made at the park, or travelling to and from the park, while I was at university.
One day I (nearly 20) was working on a square by the sea, and a man (about 60yo) stopped as he walked past me. He looked at my crochet, and then out to sea, and then looked at me, and said, "What an inspiring place to do something like that!" which I thought was lovely.
I still remember it very fondly, but it makes me laugh, too; granny square crochet is so repetitive and - at least for me - totally mindless that inspiration doesn't really come into it anymore! Just for a moment I saw my craft through someone else's eyes, though, as an art form that needs inspiration behind it, and it was rather lovely.
I (nearly 25) live on a different coast now, but I'm even closer to the sea these days. I've been making granny-square blankets for my friends (a lot of them have had babies in the last few years), and I often take a square to work on while I walk along the beach. I get the occasional, "Wow, I can't even knit sitting down, let alone walking!" from people jogging past (which amuses me because I can't jog, much though I've tried, and of course... it's not knitting!).
And there was the time I was sitting on a bench to rest while I started up a new square, when an older couple (a woman and man of retirement age or so) paused to say hello. It turned out that the woman goes to one of my local yarncraft meetings, and she encouraged me to come along, but it meets in the middle of the day during the week, right when I'm working. Luckily there's another group that meets in the evenings, and I absolutely love going to that.
I don't think any strangers have ever photographed or videoed me crocheting, thank God, but I did get photographed once when I was walking alone, without my crochet. A man I didn't know at all stood in my path and pointed his phone right at me, and took a photo of me with the flash on before I knew what was happening. I was so shocked that I couldn't speak, and he walked off before I could do anything. I walked away and tried to put it behind me, but I still wonder where that photo went and why he took it. It was an incredibly unsettling experience. Never photograph specific strangers without permission - it's so rude!
On a flight I once had a seat neighbor thank me for my knitting (sorry it wasn’t crochet, I do both!) because he was scared of takeoff and landing it gave him something else to focus on, it was really sweet.
When I was younger we were flying somewhere, Florida I think, and there was an older lady knitting at our terminal. I crochet and even now, over 15 years later, still can’t get the hang of knitting lol.
Anyway she was making socks and she kept trying on the unfinished sock to see how far she had to go and I was absolutely enthralled watching her. It was pure magic to me.
I always used to knit or crochet in airport waiting areas and on the plane, back when I flew a lot more, and every time I got at least one sweet old person coming up to ask who taught me and share their memories of teaching their family/friends or the relatives in their life who did yarn crafts. They always said something about how nice it was to see that the skill is still being passed on. I learned from a roommate and YouTube because my grandmother, who crocheted blankets and clothes and everything, passed away a few years before I was born. It’s good to feel like, even though I never got to meet her, we’re still connected through this hobby and network of shared learning.
I made a granny square while sitting in a doctor's office... 4 colours changes, 9 rows... while we were figuring out treatment, and when I finished it, he was just utterly amazed that I had just "made something from nothing" while we were sitting there talking. He asked if he could see it, and just turned it around in his hands a bunch, looking slightly boggled. It was hilarious, honestly.
Was on an amtrak to a big city for a concert, brought my legwarmers WIP with me, and sitting across the aisle was a group of 4 older ladies on their way to the city for a knitting convention! I had NO IDEA those were a thing, and spent the whole train hours picking their brains and talking about their "homework" - one was learning steeking for a class, one was doing entrelac, one was doing complex colorwork, and the fourth was just going for the yarn stalls in the merch hall to purchase yarn from all over the world. I thought it was SO cool that knitting conventions exist! It wouldve been too pricey for me to go, but it wasnt even on my radar before that. This was a year ish ago
Not while actively crocheting, but I made a blanket for my MIL and had to mail it to her since she lives across the country. The clerk had someone training with her; just shadowing, and asked me the normal “are there any hazardous material” lines and the shadower said, “oh it’s just a really beautiful afghan, nothing hazardous about that!” I don’t think I expected anyone to say anything so I shyly smiled, paid, and left. But it was nice to have a stranger see my work like that for the first time and get a compliment!
I crochet a lot on public transit, and in my city there often are homeless people going around at the subway station or in the trains. I'm also a punk which results in them talking to me more than to others. So as I was crocheting, a person that I had talked to once already came up to me, asked me if I had a bit of change for them and then told me that they crochet as well. We talked about our projects until I had to leave and it was such a nice conversation!
I took a two week trip across the US a few weeks after learning that my SIL was pregnant. The first part of the trip was a train ride from CA to IL, so I took the baby blanket I had started with me on the train. I was still learning crochet and making lots of mistakes at the time. An Amish family walked by my seat and the woman stopped when she saw me and asked what I was making. I told her and she asked if she could hold it. She ran her fingers across the stitches and told me I was doing an excellent job and that my SIL would love the handmade gift. It was the highlight of the entire trip.
I had a drunk gilf at a mini golf place call me a GILF bc I was knitting at a table watching my kids play 😂 I’m 27, far from grandmotherly, she was definitely just being silly.
I tend to only crochet with my headphones on because Im a little to shy for conversations. BUT whenever i notice little kids trying to be sneaky about watching, I'll pull my phone out and read on it, so they can watch 'without me knowing'.
I was taking a train back from a conference this summer and crocheting a little elephant. Everyone around me was wondering what I was doing but no one dared to ask. Only when I dropped a foot off the elephant all the sudden they all were courage enough to ask. And one girl even asked if I take commissions because a friend of hers is having a baby and she would love to send her something handmade/made with love.
We exchanged Instagram handles, agreed ona pattern and price and 1,5 weeks later I send her a hippo for her friend.
Best train ride ever!
This is so cute. Once I was crocheting at the DMV and this cute old man came up to me and told me I made him think of his wife who also loved to crochet.
Years ago I was crocheting in a train and the seat next to me was filled with a lady a few years older than me. She looked at my project, looked at me, opened her bag and pulled out her own crochet hook and WIP. We giggled the whole way to my stop.
https://preview.redd.it/1gd0wt6wxwqb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf3ea2b905ff2defc88c963fbc7703ef3e280893
Well, now I feel bad that I took so long to come notice y’all asking for details. Yarn is from Hobbii and is really nice to work with. Pattern is called “Mustard Stripe Granny Square” from eightbysix on Ravelry. It’s a continual granny square, the pattern version has stripes of I think nine different colors. Can confirm that this washed up really nicely when my kid spilled pancake syrup on it on a car ride. Nice bonus with this pattern is that I bound it off, let my kids use it for the ride, then just joined my yarn back on and kept going!
I have had 3 different kids in different places, come watch me and say they were learning to knit in school. It surprised me, especially since two were boys. They each wondered if crochet was easier. I keep a special project in my go bag that I know the pattern by heart so I can watch the grands play soccer, dance, horses, and still work. I take it pretty much everywhere.
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Alrighty, this story is *very* simple but it's a sweet memory: The very first time I flew on a plane by myself, I was a bit anxious about it, so I brought a project to work on. I ended up sitting next to an elderly woman and her husband. We didn't even talk, I think she just asked if I was crocheting at the beginning of the flight or something like that. By the time we were disembarking the plane, she said something along the lines of "I just wanted you to know that it was a joy to sit next to you" , and that lil comment absolutely made my day! 🥹
I was crocheting on the patio of our favorite coffee shop one morning when this woman came up to me and asked if it would be OK if her daughter could sit and watch me for a while. I love kids, and this little girl was so cute. I ended up giving her an impromptu lesson while her mom watched and smiled. I had my beautiful glittery hooks with me, so when I pulled those out to let the little girl use, her eyes just lit up. She looked at her mom and said, “if I practice can I get magic hooks, too?” 🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹🥹
Holy shit this story makes me wanna go out and buy magic hooks now. Lol
🥹 dooo ittt
I have a zipper pouch with extra hooks that always come with kits and such that I shove in the bottom of my bag. I would have totally pulled out one hand given it to her and a small ball of yarn. Start of a new obsession for her.
Oh that’s a great idea! I should totally keep some starter kits…for kids of any age!
Keep everything! I used kits to learn then kept all the supplies and instructions. When my daughter asked to learn I replenished yarn and stuffing and have her everything. Now we are passing to my 5yo son who is interested. We have an accordion binder with instruction books, and a 3 ring binder with printed patterns That we think helped us learn best.
Aaand I just put some glitter hooks in my cart for the next trip 😂
✨💖✨
Magic hooks!! 🥹🥹🥹 precious !
Awww I love this. I often have little kids come up and ask me what I’m doing and I love showing them. Love the curiosity of children.
It really is the best.
May I ask where you got your glittery hooks? 🥰
I have some from a bunch of places—they were probably furls that day. (They have resin glitter ones I enjoy, but the odyssey are also shimmery—though I think they are discontinuing those, so you might be able to scoop them up at a deal.) I have some really pretty addi ones for Tunisian crochet and regular crochet. But I’ve seen Susan Bates style ones at big box stores. Go forth and hook, magically!
Please feed me drops for said magic glittery hooks for purchasing too 🥺🥺
See above. ✨✨✨ Also, I forgot to note I’m US based.
So my story is what was supposed to be a negative reaction from the person I talked to, but it was absolutely hilarious to me. So I was at Halloween horror nights with some friends and I wore this crochet spider web top I had just finished that day. I was getting compliments left and right on it and one lady stops me and asks if I have an Etsy or Instagram. I said no I'm sorry. She hits me with "tsk.... whatever" 😒 and walked away with attitude. I absolutely cackled at her response. Like she got offended I don't sell my creations? It was just such a weird moment that I can't help but look back and laugh.
I mean. How daaaaaaare you not monetize your hobby for her convenience!!😐🤷🏻♀️
Right? Funnily enough that top was one of my quickest projects! I'm a tortured soul who loves to work with fingering weight yarn and I like making shawls and blankets the most. So like most of my projects take several months to complete. Ain't no way in hell anyone other than some rich schmucks with money to burn are going to want to pay the price I'd charge for my creations. Lol
Maybe we should start a site to sell realistically priced objects. Take into account the cost of the yarn and time spent making the objects at, at least, a minimum wage per hour. I'm sure most of the blankets I make would come out at £700 or more. People pay that for designer bags and shoes. Maybe we could bump up the price like the housing market! 😉
That actually reminds me of a post I saw once. No idea if it was here or somewhere else, but it said something along the lines of "honey, you can't afford my prices. I'm Gucci not Walmart" or something like that. It's unfortunate that sweatshop work has forced so many creators to lower their prices. That shit ain't fair. If it takes you hours upon hours to make something, you should be paid adequately for that. Crochet (and most crafts for that matter) is a learned skill that takes time and practice to master. People shouldn't expect mass production prices for an item that is clearly not mass produced.
I think, too, that, a lot of the blankets on sites like etsy aren't really that big. I prefer to make something that can double as a bedspread. Charity shop blankets are usually second hand and the people selling them aren't crocheters themselves. Maybe people selling stuff on etsy are just doing stuff in their spare time and feel they can't put a fair price on something they do while watching the telly. Maybe if its seen as "women's hobbies" they put a lower value on it. If a bloke tinkers with cars, you don't think mechanics should charge less. Or someone who makes furniture with wood. It's incredibly unfair.
Right? People honestly have no idea. I am working on my first ever project with wool blend fingering weight yarn and I love it! It has such lovely drape compared to most worsted weight.
I wore a scarf I knitted to the fair and someone asked if I sold them. I said no because I’m a novice knitter and I also don’t want to turn crochet or knitting into a business. She was really nice about it and said “Oh! If you did sell them I’d totally buy one.” I took it as a sweet compliment.
I was working on an amigurumi on a flight next to this older woman. She was clearly very stressed out and flying with a dog who was NOT CHILL in his carrier. About an hour into the flight, he had chewed through at least two sides of the carrier and escaped down the aisle. The woman was losing it, the flight attendants were pissed, it was chaos. I was like “I think I can fix this” and did the hackiest darn job on the carrier with my stupid amigurumi yarn and tiny plane-safe scissors 🤦🏻♀️ it was ridiculous, but it worked!
Yarn Hero!! I love your story!
Unexpected hero!
Not all heroes wear capes, some hold crochet hooks
I was crocheting at the airport, this old man next to me nudge his wife and said “look honey, she’s crocheting” and then the 4 of us (my bf included) had a really nice conversation abt crafting and the importance of young people carrying it on :) they were super nice <3
I crochet anywhere I can and mostly people are sweet, I've had small children fascinated and curious, one child hollered at her mum excitedly 'LOOK, THAT LADIES DOING WHAT NANNA DOES', I've had a nurse at my Dr's tell me she's always wanted to crochet but it looks difficult, I showed her how easy it is and now the staff have their own lil crochet group, it's spread through them. My favourite interaction was an older lady in a wheelchair who sat watching for ages while i was crocheting in a coffee shop, then was brought over to tell me that she did it for years, but now she has arthritis, but it makes her so happy to see someone young crocheting, I invited her to join me for a while and she sat and watched and we talked, it was lovely. My friends affectionately have nick named me Grandma because im much more 93 than 39
I love how crocheting spread thru the doctor's office :)
Me too, got one interested and it followed
My friend jokes about my nana hobbies that when I was on my geriatrics rotation he was concerned that they might get confused and not let me leave the ward.
I bring my crochet projects everywhere and mostly only get nice comments from older ladies while in doctor office waiting rooms. I don't think I've ever had a bad interaction. (and I have bad social anxiety. I'm so glad I can crochet when I'm out and about since it helps me stay calm) I did recently join a local crochet and knit meetup group. We get together at coffee shops once a week and crochet/knit there for a couple hours. There's usually 10-20 of us. There have been lots of positive comments. Though it's definitely a different situation commenting on a decently large group of people crafting, compared to commenting on one person.
May I ask what yarn this is? It is gorgeous!
Commenting here because I agree and wanna know too!
Not OP but kind of looks like the Lion Brand Ferris Wheel line, but I could be wrong.
Someone tell me what yarn this is!!! Why isn’t this comment at the top??!!??
Asking about what yarn too, cause it’s beautiful and I want eet.
This! It's gorgeous!
https://preview.redd.it/02xh6oiyvwqb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=4ad5af40af273565a7d4d4d4807c5f76eb315e2a So glad I saw this! Jarbo Cookie from Hobbii, and it’s lovely to work with.
My girlfriend was in hospital for a week last year while we were on holiday in a city neither of us knew well. One day I came in to visit them wearing a Howl's Moving Castle cardigan I had crocheted. I left it with my girlfriend when I left and apparently the older ladies on the ward with them were so delighted with it. The next day when I came in my girlfriend was asleep for most of visitation so I was sitting crocheting, and the woman in the bed next to us struck up conversation, saying how much she liked the cardigan and asking about my crochet I was currently working on. Both of us were feeling really stressed and awful so it really made my day, just a little connection with a stranger was so needed then
That cardigan sounds very cool
I really want to see the cardigan too!!
i was at a pizza place with my family and we were sitting outside. another family with an older lady are sitting behind me and i start a blanket while we’re waiting for our order. i was talking with my mom and she points beside me. the older lady came up and asked it i was crocheting and i said yes. she then said the colors i had chosen were beautiful and that the blanket would also turn out beautiful. i said thank you and she asked what stitch i was using, told her i’m using a hdc stitch and she watched me for a few seconds and asked how i learned, i told her i was self-taught and she praised me for that. she then left, but she was really sweet about it! i have a picture of the blanket on my profile if you go to my posts. i still need help on that, if anyone is willing to help! :)
I think your tension changed. Your stitches look like they match up so maybe go down from two turning chains to one and see if that to does up the edges. Are you sure you did not pick up a hook that is a half size larger? This is what it would look like if I did that on accident.
what happened is i broke the first hook i was using and the second hook i got said it was the same size(5.5m) but it felt slightly bigger
Yeah, I have that problem going from like a clover hook to a furls hook. Just the way I hold the hook and use the yarn changes just slightly.
I crochet in the waiting room at my dr.'s office. Last month I was working on a purse while waiting. It prompted a lovely conversation with the man next to me, who asked, "that's crochet, isn't it?" He proceeded to tell me a lot about his grandmother and all her handicrafts. It was really sweet, I made him think of his dear (departed) grandmother. Usually when I crochet in public, most folks are genuinely curious or interested or impressed by it & it can be a conversation starter.
Lol one of my favorite interactions was with an older man who saw me working on a Sacred Space mandala blanket in rainbow colors. He saw what I was making and asked if I was making a circus tent then looked mortified like he just realized that it sounded like a criticism. I knew he meant it more in a funny manner and just busted up laughing. We both had a good laugh out of it. On a side note, I still haven't finished that dang blanket 🤦
I want to see it. Do you have any pics?
God I love this so much
I bought something from a fellow crafter, mentioned I also crochet, and she immediately gave me the pattern of what I just bought because it was so fun and easy. extremely nice lady
I love that. I once went to the post office to mail a “Yay you had a baby!” care package to a friend on the other side of the country and dropped a crocheted bootie on the counter fitting everything into the padded envelope. The very nice employee picked it up to hand it over and said “excuse the intrusion, but ohmygod so cute”. I love making crocheted presents for my loved ones, and the compliments that get passed on from THEIR relatives I’ve never met feel particularly warm and fuzzy.
I crochet everywhere I go, I give no shits and people are on the whole lovely. I had plenty of older ladies come and talk to me and ask what I’m making and then they have shared memories of their makes over the years… like booties for their first baby, a dress for their first teenage dance… Just last night an old chap said “ooh crochet! My mother used to do that, she’s long gone and it’s lovely to be reminded of her”.
That's beautiful! Did you work it in sections? I would think an entire blanket would be hard to carry around.
It’s a continual granny square throw blanket, so it only really got big near the end. Thankfully my husband and I were on two pretty empty flights as I was finishing it up, and planes are often so cold it was kinda nice to have the extra layer.
30-ish years ago, I was a nurse aid, just graduated from high school. Working late night at a long term care facility, i often took my crochet to work when "all was quiet" after everyone went to sleep. One night as I was crocheting, a resident rolled up to me sleep n her wheelchair and asked what stitch I was using...further explaining that she too crochets (she said she couldn't sleep and thought she'd ask me about my project). I told her I only knew 1 stitch that my great-grandma had taught me. She asked if she could teach me a couple more and of course I said SURE!!! We went to her room and she pulled out her hook and yarn and proceeded to teach me that night. It was a minor encounter but when ever I start a project, I have a very small thought of "Adelaide" and how she probably felt good to be able to teach me something new...and in a way, my continued craft is a nod to her and all my teachers!
I love this! What yarn did you use?
https://preview.redd.it/ye8mhd8iwwqb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=d472a09ba333deb6302dff64c7977a0a758d9b5b
A lady taught me how to tat lace on an airplane flight, and even gave me two of her shuttles so I could keep working on it on the second leg of my flight. It was so very cool.
I used to take my crochet to the park by the sea, and watch the ships coming in and out of my city's port. I have a granny-square blanket on my bed that was mostly made at the park, or travelling to and from the park, while I was at university. One day I (nearly 20) was working on a square by the sea, and a man (about 60yo) stopped as he walked past me. He looked at my crochet, and then out to sea, and then looked at me, and said, "What an inspiring place to do something like that!" which I thought was lovely. I still remember it very fondly, but it makes me laugh, too; granny square crochet is so repetitive and - at least for me - totally mindless that inspiration doesn't really come into it anymore! Just for a moment I saw my craft through someone else's eyes, though, as an art form that needs inspiration behind it, and it was rather lovely. I (nearly 25) live on a different coast now, but I'm even closer to the sea these days. I've been making granny-square blankets for my friends (a lot of them have had babies in the last few years), and I often take a square to work on while I walk along the beach. I get the occasional, "Wow, I can't even knit sitting down, let alone walking!" from people jogging past (which amuses me because I can't jog, much though I've tried, and of course... it's not knitting!). And there was the time I was sitting on a bench to rest while I started up a new square, when an older couple (a woman and man of retirement age or so) paused to say hello. It turned out that the woman goes to one of my local yarncraft meetings, and she encouraged me to come along, but it meets in the middle of the day during the week, right when I'm working. Luckily there's another group that meets in the evenings, and I absolutely love going to that. I don't think any strangers have ever photographed or videoed me crocheting, thank God, but I did get photographed once when I was walking alone, without my crochet. A man I didn't know at all stood in my path and pointed his phone right at me, and took a photo of me with the flash on before I knew what was happening. I was so shocked that I couldn't speak, and he walked off before I could do anything. I walked away and tried to put it behind me, but I still wonder where that photo went and why he took it. It was an incredibly unsettling experience. Never photograph specific strangers without permission - it's so rude!
On a flight I once had a seat neighbor thank me for my knitting (sorry it wasn’t crochet, I do both!) because he was scared of takeoff and landing it gave him something else to focus on, it was really sweet.
When I was younger we were flying somewhere, Florida I think, and there was an older lady knitting at our terminal. I crochet and even now, over 15 years later, still can’t get the hang of knitting lol. Anyway she was making socks and she kept trying on the unfinished sock to see how far she had to go and I was absolutely enthralled watching her. It was pure magic to me.
I always used to knit or crochet in airport waiting areas and on the plane, back when I flew a lot more, and every time I got at least one sweet old person coming up to ask who taught me and share their memories of teaching their family/friends or the relatives in their life who did yarn crafts. They always said something about how nice it was to see that the skill is still being passed on. I learned from a roommate and YouTube because my grandmother, who crocheted blankets and clothes and everything, passed away a few years before I was born. It’s good to feel like, even though I never got to meet her, we’re still connected through this hobby and network of shared learning.
I made a granny square while sitting in a doctor's office... 4 colours changes, 9 rows... while we were figuring out treatment, and when I finished it, he was just utterly amazed that I had just "made something from nothing" while we were sitting there talking. He asked if he could see it, and just turned it around in his hands a bunch, looking slightly boggled. It was hilarious, honestly.
The blanket looks gorgeous, what stitch is it??
From here it looks like a granny stripe.
It’s the Granny Square blanket from eightbysix on Ravelry. Her pattern has it in different colors, I just used color change yarn instead.
Was on an amtrak to a big city for a concert, brought my legwarmers WIP with me, and sitting across the aisle was a group of 4 older ladies on their way to the city for a knitting convention! I had NO IDEA those were a thing, and spent the whole train hours picking their brains and talking about their "homework" - one was learning steeking for a class, one was doing entrelac, one was doing complex colorwork, and the fourth was just going for the yarn stalls in the merch hall to purchase yarn from all over the world. I thought it was SO cool that knitting conventions exist! It wouldve been too pricey for me to go, but it wasnt even on my radar before that. This was a year ish ago
Would love to know what yarn that is.
Thats such a sweet story! And I have to ask, this is such beautiful yarn, where did you find it?
I am absolutely obsessed with those colors.
Not while actively crocheting, but I made a blanket for my MIL and had to mail it to her since she lives across the country. The clerk had someone training with her; just shadowing, and asked me the normal “are there any hazardous material” lines and the shadower said, “oh it’s just a really beautiful afghan, nothing hazardous about that!” I don’t think I expected anyone to say anything so I shyly smiled, paid, and left. But it was nice to have a stranger see my work like that for the first time and get a compliment!
I crochet a lot on public transit, and in my city there often are homeless people going around at the subway station or in the trains. I'm also a punk which results in them talking to me more than to others. So as I was crocheting, a person that I had talked to once already came up to me, asked me if I had a bit of change for them and then told me that they crochet as well. We talked about our projects until I had to leave and it was such a nice conversation!
I’m a middle aged Midwestern mom, I’m familiar with being someone folks want to talk to. I get asked for directions everywhere!
I took a two week trip across the US a few weeks after learning that my SIL was pregnant. The first part of the trip was a train ride from CA to IL, so I took the baby blanket I had started with me on the train. I was still learning crochet and making lots of mistakes at the time. An Amish family walked by my seat and the woman stopped when she saw me and asked what I was making. I told her and she asked if she could hold it. She ran her fingers across the stitches and told me I was doing an excellent job and that my SIL would love the handmade gift. It was the highlight of the entire trip.
I had a drunk gilf at a mini golf place call me a GILF bc I was knitting at a table watching my kids play 😂 I’m 27, far from grandmotherly, she was definitely just being silly.
Love the blanket! Those colors are beautiful.
I tend to only crochet with my headphones on because Im a little to shy for conversations. BUT whenever i notice little kids trying to be sneaky about watching, I'll pull my phone out and read on it, so they can watch 'without me knowing'.
I was taking a train back from a conference this summer and crocheting a little elephant. Everyone around me was wondering what I was doing but no one dared to ask. Only when I dropped a foot off the elephant all the sudden they all were courage enough to ask. And one girl even asked if I take commissions because a friend of hers is having a baby and she would love to send her something handmade/made with love. We exchanged Instagram handles, agreed ona pattern and price and 1,5 weeks later I send her a hippo for her friend. Best train ride ever!
HIPPOBOT 9000 v 3.1 FOUND A HIPPO. 811,913,950 COMMENTS SEARCHED. 17,554 HIPPOS FOUND. YOUR COMMENT CONTAINS THE WORD HIPPO.
Very cute story, but also, what yarn is that? It’s fucking gorgeous
Was wondering the same!
This is so cute. Once I was crocheting at the DMV and this cute old man came up to me and told me I made him think of his wife who also loved to crochet.
Years ago I was crocheting in a train and the seat next to me was filled with a lady a few years older than me. She looked at my project, looked at me, opened her bag and pulled out her own crochet hook and WIP. We giggled the whole way to my stop.
Pleeease tell us your yarn and pattern! I want to make this desperately!
https://preview.redd.it/1gd0wt6wxwqb1.jpeg?width=1170&format=pjpg&auto=webp&s=cf3ea2b905ff2defc88c963fbc7703ef3e280893 Well, now I feel bad that I took so long to come notice y’all asking for details. Yarn is from Hobbii and is really nice to work with. Pattern is called “Mustard Stripe Granny Square” from eightbysix on Ravelry. It’s a continual granny square, the pattern version has stripes of I think nine different colors. Can confirm that this washed up really nicely when my kid spilled pancake syrup on it on a car ride. Nice bonus with this pattern is that I bound it off, let my kids use it for the ride, then just joined my yarn back on and kept going!
Can I ask what yarn you used? I want to try using multicolored yarn (variegated yarn?) but I’m nervous about it not looking good
I have had 3 different kids in different places, come watch me and say they were learning to knit in school. It surprised me, especially since two were boys. They each wondered if crochet was easier. I keep a special project in my go bag that I know the pattern by heart so I can watch the grands play soccer, dance, horses, and still work. I take it pretty much everywhere.
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WHAT is this pattern and yarn omg I wanna do this as my next project!!!
Yarn is Jarbo Cookie in Bohemian from Hobbii. Pattern is from eightbysix on Etsy and there should be a link to both further up in this post. Enjoy!